Jehovah’s Witnesses are known worldwide for their door-to-door public witnessing. Due to the pandemic, this hallmark method of sharing comfort and hope from the Scriptures has been curtailed for more than a year. Historically, Jehovah’s Witnesses were seen in Oakland regularly engaging in the door-to-door ministry. The pandemic has necessitated a strategic pivot in their methods.
Long-time Oakland resident and local Jehovah’s Witness Andrena Morris is still sharing Bible truths but has found a different avenue of preaching.

“Before COVID-19, I volunteered my time by walking door to door in West Oakland, sharing a positive message from the Bible. Now, I use the telephone, texting, and letter writing to share the same comforting message as if we were face to face. I also use our website, jw.org, as a great resource for sending video links and articles that help people cope in this pandemic.

“The response to my new witnessing methods has been exciting,” Morris said.

In March 2020, some 1.3 million Witnesses in the United States suspended their in-person preaching activities. This was a significant change for Jehovah’s Witnesses, from meeting together and speaking with community members face to face to attending Zoom meetings and conducting outreach through phone calls and letter writing.

“The pandemic has been a cloud with several silver linings,” said David Cohen, who helps organize the ministry in the Bay Area. “Congregation meeting attendance is up 25% or more in various parts of the Bay Area. Friends and families of Witnesses have also been joining our meetings.”

Cohen continued, “It was amazing to see how quickly, within a week or two, we pivoted to virtual meetings and ministry. The enthusiastic response was immediate among our local Witnesses, including those with severe health limitations. A number seized this opportunity to do more. It actually has helped many become more involved.”

“It has been a very deliberate decision based on two principles: our respect for life and love of neighbor, but we are still witnesses and, as such, we must testify about our faith. So, it was inevitable that we would find a way to continue our work,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

According to Hendriks, nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since the pandemic, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and phone calls instead of in-person visits.

“Our love for our neighbors is stronger than ever,” said Hendriks. “In fact, I think we have needed each other more than ever. We are finding that people are perplexed, stressed, and feeling isolated. Our work has helped many regain a sense of footing – even normalcy – at a very unsettled time.”

Witnesses have also made a concerted effort to check on distant friends and family—sometimes texting links to Bible-based articles on jw.org that cover timely topics, such as isolation, depression, and how to beat pandemic fatigue.

For more information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit their website jw.org, with content available in more than 1,033 languages.

Isabelle Price

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